What can I eat / drink when I have Milk Allergy?

Dairy is an important food group and should never be removed from anyone’s diet without professional advice. It is an important source of key vitamins, minerals, fats and calcium. All of these aspects have to be covered by providing substitutes if dairy products need to be excluded from your diet.

It is very important that you seek medical advice as to which milk to use; Soy milk available in shops is not recommended for children under 12 months, Rice milk is not recommended, as a regular milk for children under 4 and a half years of age, due to the elevated levels of naturally occurring arsenic.

As a substitute for milk as a drink, or a cooking product, many people chose widely available Soya Milk products. There are many soya margarines, yoghurts, cheeses and even ice creams available. Nut milks (such as Almond or Hazelnut), coconut, rice, hemp and oat milks are also becoming more widely available. Select one that is enriched to ensure you are getting the extra vitamins and minerals you will be missing from not using cow’s milk. All milk alternatives have different characteristics and you may find that you wish to use a combination of a couple to fulfil your needs; a sweet nut milk to drink or on cereals and a slightly less sweet one such as Oat for cooking a savoury sauce, for example.

To increase your protein intake try to use high protein products such as eggs, fish or meats. Healthy fats can be obtained by using oils such as Rapeseed or Olive oils to enrich your foods – use to mash potatoes, or dress salads for example.

Calcium can come from lots of sources – not just milk. Try to use foods such as legumes (beans), nuts or vegetables like kale or spring greens.